The Nation: The Good Life

The good life, said a woman in Kansas City, Mo., is "when you
aren't up to dabbling in the luxuries but have lots more than the
necessities." A Bostonian described it as "anyplace with
nice lawns and a quiet suburban street."
To average citizens in Kansas City and Boston, the good life means about
$25,000 a year, a seven-room house in the suburbs, two cars and three
weeks of vacation. Those conclusions were drawn from a survey of 900
people in the two metropolitan areas by Richard Coleman, senior
research associate at the...